Bitch Media - peeinghttp://bitchmagazine.org/taxonomy/term/1104/0
enFree to pee, you and me.http://bitchmagazine.org/post/free-to-pee-you-and-me
<p><img src="http://www.advanceusa.org/blog/content/binary/restroom%20sign.jpg" alt="bathroom sign" width="240" height="236" /></p>
<p>We talk a lot on this blog, and in the magazine, about the problems that come with dividing the entire world up into two distinct categories: men and women. Us savvy feminists know that there is a lot more to gender than that, and that lots of us don't necessarily like being forced to identify as just one thing or another, especially when the two categories have been socially constructed to begin with. Nowhere is this false dichotomy more prevalent (and more potentially problematic) than in the world of public restrooms. After all, what could be more stressful than trying to make a decision about your gender identity when you have to pee?</p>
<p>Luckily for all of us, there is a handy website dedicated to this very dilemma: <a href="http://safe2pee.org/beta/" rel="nofollow">safe2pee.org</a>. At safe2pee, you can enter your city and state and get a list back of all of the gender-neutral public restrooms in your area. Then you can view an interactive map of of the restrooms, and you can even get directions to them texted to your phone (if you are of the tech-loving variety). </p>
<p>There is also a nifty feature on the site called city cloud, which highlights the North American cities (they are working on becoming more international, but aren't quite there yet) with the most gender-free bathrooms (in case you would like to vacation or relocate based on bathroom availability, which probably wouldn't be a bad idea). Right now the winning city appears to be Las Vegas, so get those pasties out of the closet and grab your lucky dice!</p>
<p>For those of you out there who own or frequent a business that has gender-neutral restrooms, there is a space on the site to add your own restroom suggestions to the maps. You can list the business, and then select features about the restroom to highlight (e.g., accessibility, number of stalls, etc.).</p>
<p>This is a seriously user-friendly website, with all sorts of links, photo uploads (yep, bathroom photos), and different formats available with which to use the bathroom maps. Plus, the people who run the site are really funny, and all of the information is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyleft" rel="nofollow">copyleft</a>, which means anyone can use it. Safe2pee also has a <a href="http://safe2pee.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">blog</a>, a <a href="http://safe2pee.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/safe2pee1.pdf" rel="nofollow">zine</a>, an <a href="http://safe2pee.org/beta/faq.php" rel="nofollow">FAQ page</a>, and a <a href="http://safe2pee.wordpress.com/bathroom-resources/" rel="nofollow">resource page</a> for those interested in learning more about the gender-neutral movement. You couldn't get more information about safe public peeing if you tried!</p>
<p>So the next time you are out in public and nature calls, check out <a href="http://safe2pee.org/beta/" rel="nofollow">safe2pee.org</a>. Whether you are trans, androgynous, genderqueer, or just weirded out by having to use a bathroom with a creepy stick figure on the door, safe2pee has got you covered.</p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/free-to-pee-you-and-me#commentsgender-neutralitygenderqueerpeeingrestroomswebsitesLove / ShoveTue, 02 Dec 2008 22:46:42 +0000Kelsey Wallace951 at http://bitchmagazine.org